you don't have to raise your voice to be heard
by renee walker
Summary: Aphrodite and Persephone give surprisingly good advice. / for Stephan.


Artemis was Not Looking at Hermes. Hermes was Not Looking at Artemis. Apollo was Not Looking at either of them.

"What happened this time?" Persephone asked. She had a goblet of wine in hand, and looked more like a regal woman than sweet Kore today. Maybe it was the large necklace, made of large, arranged opal gems in a dozen different shades on an elaborate silver chain, given to her by Hades. Maybe it was the way she styled it: a simple, flowing chiton underneath and her hair piled up in a tangle of curls and ribbons.

"I don't know," Athena confessed quietly. She sipped her own wine, grey eyes fixed upon the three immortals. "I think it's another one of their feuds."

"How long have they been like this?" Persephone said. She sounded weary as she looked at them with huge, green eyes. "Very long?"

"Longer than usual. Artemis went out with her maidens on a hunt, and she got back just yesterday." Athena didn't say anymore. She could feel Aphrodite's presence approaching them. She could smell the cloying notes of her perfume snaking through the air.

"Trouble in paradise," Aphrodite hummed. She floated over to them, eyes sharp and smile lazy. "Don't you want to know what happened?" She leaned forwards in a conspiratorial way, voice dropping to a coaxing whisper. Athena stayed strong and silent. Persephone hesitated, torn between curiosity and respect.

"We don't want your petty gossip," Athena said. Her voice didn't shake. Her face gave away nothing. She didn't move.

"Petty? No," Aphrodite countered. She smiled, sweet as honey, knife-sharp. It was like the gleam in Artemis' eyes as she released an arrow. It was like the set of Athena's jaw as she thrust her spear in battle. It was like the twist of Ares' lips as he charged forwards. "Gossip? Yes. News is that Hermes blew Artemis off to meet with a girl - a mortal. He really likes her. Enough to miss meeting Artemis for her. Or Hermes did like her, before Apollo had her too."

She hadn't even finished her last sentence when Artemis swooped down on them. Her hair was a mess of wild black curls. Her eyes were a midnight blue almost too cold to resemble the sky at midnight. "Spreading gossip?" she asked. Her bow and arrows were slung over her shoulders. She had a goblet in hand, but looked ready for the hunt. "I thought you knew better."

"Lust and love are so much alike," Aphrodite told her. "If we only we could learn to let the two coincide in peace."

"No one wants your back-handed comments," Artemis said. Persephone looked at her and saw Athena in her. Or perhaps Artemis in Athena. It was the way they carried themselves: stoic, focussed, intense. Yet while Athena looked like she was always one step ahead of everyone, Artemis looked cold and almost murderous.

"If only we could learn to share," Aphrodite continued. "Perhaps that would bring peace too."

"Back out of something that isn't your business," Athena told her, voice low and firm.

Aphrodite smiled, sweet as honey and sharp as a knife. "Oh, darling," she said, patronizing, and didn't continue.

Artemis looked like she was going to shoot her.

"Sweetheart, your boys? They're your boys. They'll always be your boys, no matter who they're fucking," Aphrodite told her. When Artemis did nothing except stare her down, she winked and slipped away.

"Your boys," Persephone repeated.

"I'm not fucking either of them," Artemis clarified. Her voice was flat and low. She sounded, and looked, apathetic. "They're just, my friends. They're my friends." And Persephone realized.

Artemis wasn't possessive over Hermes and Apollo. She just thought she was more invested in their friendship than either of them were. Artemis hated being dependent.

"Artemis," Persephone sighed. She reached out, slow enough for Artemis to stop her, and pulled her into a hug. Then she reached over and pulled Athena in too, so that the three were all smushed together.

"This is so weird," Artemis snorted, but Persephone could hear the smile in her voice, and recognized the shaking of Athena's frame as laughter.

"Maybe you should go talk to them," suggested Persephone. "Later."

Artemis didn't reply, but she squeezed her shoulder in lieu of vocally considering it.

* * *

When the gods reconvened for official business the next day, Artemis, Apollo, and Hermes stumbled in together. Hermes and Apollo flanked Artemis on either side, for once. Usually, it was the twins framing Hermes, but not today.

Gods and goddesses breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the trio come in. While there was still clearly something careful about their relationship - a tentative boundary as opposed to their normally carefree relationship - they clearly had made up.

Persephone walked up to Artemis, almost smirking. Her smile was more conspiratorial than sweet, but perhaps that was just her looking older again.

"So did the talking work out?" she asked, eyes shining with mirth.

Artemis smiled down at her. The look on her face was half the apathy she usually wore like a second skin, and half the joyful light she draped herself in around her loved ones.

"It went well," Artemis told her. She hugged her, briefly and sweetly. "Thank you."

Persephone laughed, light and delicate, and sounding simultaneously more and less like Kore than Artemis had heard in a long time. "You're welcome."


End file.
